Everyone is racist.
Whether we like to believe it or not, we all have preconceived notions about other nationalities based on our life experiences, general stereotypes, and the consistently biased media coverage that takes place in the world today. Our prejudices aren?t solely based on race but also gender, weight, appearance, deformities, etc. etc. etc. It?s a fact of life and it?s something that tends to be so politically incorrect to discuss that it?s hardly ever addressed.
An example of some or our prejudices are as follows:
We automatically assume that the morbidly obese woman taking up two seats on the bus is rather ?plump? based on her laziness and a diet filled with crispy bacon. In reality she possesses a rare thyroid disease that causes her weight to balloon out of proportion.
We automatically assume that every person of Puerto Rican decent has a shrine located in their home dedicated to Felix ?Tito? Trinidad.
We automatically think? ?Pacquiao fan? when we see or meet anybody of Filipino descent.
Every person of black pigmentation in Las Vegas on the night of Hatton-Mayweather was assumed to have been a supporter of the ?Pretty Boy?.
Every person with a British accent is assumed to not only know of Ricky ?The Hitman? Hatton but also knows the vaunted song of? ?Hatton Wonderland?.
These are the various prejudices that run through the average boxing fan?s brain in relation to the sport they follow and their peers in the stands. Is it racist?
I don?t know.
It?s come to my attention in recent times that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Winky Wright seem to feel as though the commentary team at HBO have a racial preference when it comes to their combatants. Mayweather reiterated the fact that fighters such as Manny Pacquiao and Kelly Pavlik consistently receive high praise from the commentary team while black fighters receive nothing of the sort.
I?m not so sure about that.
Larry Merchant was one of Bernard Hopkins? biggest and most vocal supporters before he made the lucrative paydays in the latter half of his career. I vividly recall the long-time broadcaster praising Bernard throughout his bout with Felix Trinidad. Those were the days when Hopkins would actually fight to the best of his abilities and was relatively entertaining to watch.
I recall James Toney being touted and praised extremely heavily in his performance against Iran ?The Blade? Barkley. ?Lights Out? put together a masterful display of fighting, counter-punching, and textbook boxing which had the HBO commentary team in awe of his abilities.
?Sugar? Shane Mosley is a prize fighter who consistently receives praise from the HBO squad.
How is it that some black fighters receive praise while others fall a bit short?
Perhaps it is in the performance of the fighter that will dictate whether they are the recipient of applause or the recipient of criticism. A boring fight gets booed from the audience and ridiculed by the announcers while an exciting bout draws cheers from the stands and high notes from the broadcast team. It?s pretty simple.
Is it a coincidence that fighters such as Mayweather and Wright are claiming racism when it comes to not receiving the type of praise that they feel entitled to receiving? They just so happen to be two of the most defensive-minded fighters in the sport.
While it?s no secret that Larry Merchant doesn?t seem to be a huge fan of hip hop culture or its music, that doesn?t translate to him being a racist. In many instances, the hip-hop culture encompasses a person carrying themselves as a bonafide prick and a cocky asshole. I don?t know of anybody that necessarily enjoys engaging in conversation or speaking highly of these creatures.
While the Showtime broadcast team can tend to stay on the more politically correct side throughout their events, the HBO commentary team can seem to project their own, strong opinions throughout the night. As a boxing fan I might not always agree with their views or opinions but I can?t say that I recall any moment in which the commentary came off as racist.
Perhaps a bit biased based on relationships, grudges, and promotional ties but never based strictly on the color of ones skin.
It seems as though Floyd might benefit from reviewing his own bout with Phillip N?Dou in order to refresh his memory that HBO?s team will praise a performance that?s worthy regardless of skin color. That performance happened to be one of Floyd?s best in recent years and it received very high remarks that night as the Grand Rapids native performed up to the best of his abilities while entertaining the viewers.
The second that Pavlik and Pacquiao fail to entertain the viewers is the second that the HBO team will start to criticize their performances. Until then, continue the praise as both of those warriors are damn well worth it?
